Family Troubles
by Cochrane
Summary: It's spring time. Love is in the air. Aoi and Oga got together. Beel is happy. Hilda is not.
1. Confession

"…yes, I get that it's better for the story, but I just don't want to see Suzuha die. Couldn't the writers think of something else?" said Hilda.

"She didn't test well with several core demographics. Himekawa TV isn't some sort of charity," replied Himekawa. "Besides, what happens if she survives? It's all the same debate over again. Nobody would watch it."

The discussion had been going on for more than an hour now, ever since Hilda learned who was behind her favorite soap operas. Teachers had come and gone into the classroom, but none of them had managed to have the slightest impact on the Ishyiama special class.

"You still owe us something for allowing you to help in the retrieval of the Demon's Portrait", said Hilda, although she was just grasping at straws here. Part of her wondered whether she should draw her sword, but doing that would probably do nothing to prevent the coming fictional tragedy.

"Me? It's you guys who owe me something. I let you in thanks to the kindness of my heart, and what thanks do I get? Now, listen here — oh, what's that?"

Hilda followed his gaze. Kunieda was standing at Oga's table, talking quietly. After a second, both of them left. After a ten second waiting period, the entire class raced to the door. All except Hilda.

"Are you not coming?" asked Himekawa. "Aren't you, like, worried that Aoi will confess?"

"Confess what? Did she kill someone?" replied Hilda.

"What? No. I don't think she could. What I mean is…"

At that moment, Oga and Kunieda returned. Oga looked incredibly confused, while the girl was blushing and smiling at the same time. And they were holding hands.

"…that," said Himekawa quietly. He looked at Hilda, waiting for a reaction. Apparently he had not expected her to smile.

"Kunieda and Oga… that is going to be interesting."

* * *

_**Authors note:**__ Wohoo, new story started! I've actually written this one back to front, so all other chapters are already done (although I may do some touch-ups before posting). Note that while this story features AoiXOga, it isn't about that, and designed to be enjoyable for people who don't like that pairing, too._

_If you're wondering about __**The Debt**__, well, so am I. I've rewritten chapter five three times now, but it never works like I want it to. I'll first finish this one, and then rethink my approach there._


	2. Courtship

"Alright, I get it now", said Misaki. It had taken hours to explain the frankly incredible story, but finally, she knew what the deal was with Hilda and Baby Beel.

"Some bastard in Macao got Hilda-chan pregnant and sent her here, and you offered to take them both in because you had pity. I have to say, I'm impressed! I never knew that you were capable such compassion!"

"What? Bitch, that isn't anything like what I said! Stop making this stuff up!" replied her impertinent younger brother, but Misaki wasn't falling for it.

"You can't fool me. I know, you always act so aloof and cold-hearted, but I can see how much you care about Hilda-chan and Beel-chan. I bet you're a better father than the original ever was."

She had hoped for a comment from Hilda at this point, but the young mother just continued watching the TV. Or was she smirking a bit?

Misaki bent down to Oga and whispered in his ear, "Aoi is a nice girl. But are you really sure about all that? You and Hilda-chan would make a great couple…"

Tatsumi apparently weighed his options for a bit, and then simply decided to ignore her. Instead, he turned to his not-wife and shouted, "Oy, Hilda, can I go like this? My sister keeps trying to dress me up like some doll!"

"I do not!" That comment would have deserved a headlock, but technically speaking, it was true, so Misaki decided to postpone it until after the date.

Hilda said, "I don't care", but still turned around to look at him. "Your tie is bent. Come over."

Tatsumi walked over and stood still as Hilda fussed over his outfit, like a traditional housewife sending her husband off to work. Except this wasn't work, but a date with another woman. Might it be better to describe Hilda as a new sister, of sorts? Misaki had always seen her like that, and with that description, her relationship to Tatsumi certainly made a lot more sense. Still, she had to know.

"Hilda, are you really okay with this? Tatsumi and Beel-chan going off to a date with another woman?"

"It's no concern of mine," said the blonde. "I'll use the time to catch up on my soaps." Then she turned to Tatsumi. "Make sure you don't show the young master any dirty stuff!"

"Huh? What dirty stuff?" replied Tatsumi.

"I don't know. Your human mating rituals."

"Bitch, don't be stupid! As if I would show him… or do… just no! Anyway, thanks, see you later!"

Misaki silently shook her head as Tatsumi left. Oh well, another former Red Tails leader as possible sister-in-law… that had a ring to it, too.

* * *

If there was one thing Alaindelon loved about the human world, it was cafés. Not that the demon world didnt have them, but they just didnt have the same _je-ne-sais-quoi_. For example, their coffee was always blood red. But even more than the drinks, he enjoyed gossiping about humans.

"…and thats how Furuichi-donos day went," he finished. In reality, he would have liked to go on a great deal, but he could tell that Hilda-san was regrettably not very interested.

"How is Oga-san doing?" he asked instead, in the hopes of getting more reaction.

"Oga? How would I know? He is on a date with Kunieda."

"Their second, is it not? Do you know what they say in Japan about second dates?"

"I dont. Why? Does it affect the well-being of the young master in any way?"

"Sadly, I cant answer, as I dont know what they say in Japan about second dates. I hoped you could tell."

"Im not interested," said Hilda, and eyed her cup critically. "Why do all these cafés have sugar but never pepper?"

"I just fear that this relationship may damage Ogas commitment to the young masters mission." said Alaindelon, ignoring her comment. He was actually rather fond of coffee with nothing but milk and sugar.

"…or at least some tabasco. Wait, what did you say?" Hilda looked up. "I am not worried. The young master will have many concubines; it does not hurt if he learns how to treat them at an early age."

"I do not believe that Kunieda-sama would be happy to be described as a concubine. Anyway, does this not make you jealous? I have my family, now Oga-sama has found someone, but you are all alone."

"How am I alone? My life is dedicated only to the young master. As long as I can be with him, I am content. Kunieda and Oga actually make a good pair, and if he isnt complaining all the time, then he can be a better father."

"That is fortunate. I was getting worried, since Takayuki was recently making comments about you being, in his words, available…"

He expected an explosion of outrage, but instead, Hilda simply furrowed her brow and began scribbling on a napkin.

"Oga would probably complain about Furuichi dying, but if I can make it look like an accident…"

Alaindelon did not like that line of thought, so he tried to change the subject.

"So where is the young master now? With Oga-san and Kunieda-san, I assume?"

"Yes, they are going to the zoo together. Apparently, a date within fifteen meters of the masters bed was not considered intimate enough."

"Ah. Wait, didnt you want to show the young master the zoo?"

"Yes, but its no problem at all," said Hilda. She smiled, but just for a second, it looked a bit forced.

* * *

Girls were confusing, thought Oga. Not in normal life; generally, not treating them like Furuichi would did the trick. But a real date Kunieda… no, Aoi, was something else. The Kunie Aoi thing wasnt the big problem; on a scale of one to Beel, it didnt reach very high. The confusing part was how shed giggle and smile when he made a fool out of himself, but blush violently at completely random remarks.

Still, according to her, their third date had been a success, at least if the way she was holding his hand was anything to go by. Beel was beyond happy after he had almost won a scowling match with a stray dog. As for Oga himself, nobody had run away screaming, which made this three out of three. Not bad, all things considered.

When they reached his house, he was wondering whether to invite Aoi in, or if not, how to say so. Before he could reach a decision, the door opened on its own, with Hilda standing there.

"Youre home early, young master! Did you have a good day?" she asked.

Baby Beel, as always, started blubbering away. "Ai! Da-buh! Dabbadaah!"

Hilda picked him up and started to caress him. "I see, young master, that is good to hear…"

"Dabuuh! Aah-ooh-iih!" said the Baby, turning towards Kunieda.

"Wow, he can say names now!" said Oga. "Thats awesome! He never said mine, or yours, Hilda, did he?"

"Oh, how cute!", said Aoi. "But I think my name is easier for him, too."

"Yes," said Hilda, curtly. "Kunieda, thank you for bringing the young master home. And Oga too, I guess. Ill see you."

Without another word, she ran back into the house. After a second, Oga shrugged, cast an apologetic look at Aoi, and followed her. Damn, girls were confusing.

* * *

Number four. If Yuka had counted correctly — and there was always room for doubt on that front, if she was honest with herself — this was the fourth date that Oga-chan and Aoi-nee-san had just gone on, giggling and holding hands. Of course, the baby was on his back, just as excited. A perfect scene of familiar harmony, but still, Yuka found it confusing.

"I find that confusing," she said, nodding her head at the pair that had just left.

"Why? I guess it was inevitable," said Nene. "At least now she didnt leave the Red Tails for nothing."

"So romantic," said Chiaki.

"Yes, but what about Ogas wifey?" said Yuka. "Are they, like, divorced now or what?"

"Apparently they were never married," said Ryoko from behind her medical mask. "Shes something like a refugee from Macao, and Oga just took her and the baby in."

"I didnt know there were refugees from Macao here," said Nene. "What would they be fleeing from?"

"In _Skyfall_, that one guy got eaten by a lizard in Macao!" said Yuka excitedly. She wasnt into world politics at all, but people being eaten by lizards was something she could get behind. "Maybe there are more things like that there!"

"Thats just a movie," said Nene sternly. "Hilda does not come from some mystic place full of giant monsters."

"That whole thing with Hilda is, odd, though," said Ryoko. "Werent Oga and she really close? Remember that thing with the other school thing, or when they worked together for that thing with the contest? She looks kind of sad now."

"I see no difference," said Nene. "And besides, if she was interested in Oga, she totally had her chance, didnt she?"

"The baby is cute," said Chiaki.

"I think were missing something here," said Yuka.

* * *

Boys were complicated, thought Aoi. She could deal with most of them easily, by dismissal and occasional violence, but she had no strategy for dealing with Oga. The fact that they had started going out had, oddly enough, not really changed that.

For example, right now, they were returning from their fifth date. Would Oga kiss her? If he didnt, should she kiss him? If he did, then how would she react? They were official boyfriend and girlfriend now, and allowed (even expected?) to kiss, but she was not certain whether she could control her impulse to slap him instead. Not helping was the fact that both of them still smelled a bit charred. Oh yeah, what would Beel do if she and Oga kissed? Boys were complicated, after all.

When they reached Ogas house, Hilda was already sitting in the garden, waiting patiently.

"Good to see you home, young master!" she shouted as they came into view. "What did you do today?"

"We went swimming," said Oga as he handed the baby to the maid. "He even swam a bit on his own with floaties. At first he was scared, shocked us a bit, but then he went on like a real man!"

"Dabuu! da! Aaa-oo-iih!"

"Its really great to see how much progress hes making lately," continued Oga.

"I bet it is," said Hilda, smiling. It was not a very warm smile, but Oga didnt seem to notice.

"There are croquettes for you on the table, freshly bought," the demon said. "Go on in."

"Great! Aoi, you…?"

"Nah, I have to help my grandpa with some stuff around the shrine."

"Later then. Love you!" said Oga and headed inside.

Aoi nearly fainted. Of all things, that, without any warning… boys sure were complicated.

She was ripped out of her thoughts by Hilda.

"Kunieda, we need to talk."

* * *

_**Authors note:**__ This is my first time trying Ulysses III, after previously using Ulysses 2. So far, I really like it. Markdown is way better than the custom things they used to have, and it looks far less cluttered. It's also really Dropbox compatible. For some reason I had to turn on spell checking and smart quotes manually (and then of course switches to a font where all quotation marks look the same…). Note, though, that it won't open Ulysses 2 projects, and some features (e.g. different document statuses) are gone. I never really needed them, but your mileage may vary._


	3. Conflict

Aoi watched Hilda take in the shrine's surroundings. She had a good idea what the demon's appraising eyes saw: Wide, empty spaces. No features that presented obstacles to someone running at full speed. All surfaces stone or gravel, unlikely to catch fire. All areas were empty; no bystanders could be endangered - or witness anything.

Hilda nodded. "This looks like a good battlefield."

"It doesn't have to be", replied Aoi. Her biggest wish was that her statement was true. But she was no moron. She held her wooden blade firmly in her hand, just like the demon did with her sword-bearing umbrella.

"No? Then how do you suggest we resolve this? Talk about it over a cup of coffee? Badmouth each other to our girlfriends?" Hilda gave a short, humorless chuckle. "You've stolen my master's affection. Will you agree to stop seeing him, and, by extension, Oga?"

The nerve of this woman! "I haven't done anything like that!" said Aoi. "You're just imagining things because you're always over-protective."

"Stop it. Youre smarter than that. I get to spend less and less time each day with the young master. The first name he said was ‚Aoi'. You were there. It should have been my name! It may be presumptuous of me to say so, but the young master is my family, and you're a little home-wrecker."

Aoi started to reply, but stopped. How could she prove Hilda wrong? Could she prove Hilda wrong at all? After a moment, another thought entered her head: Was Hilda right? Aoi had been spending a lot of time with Oga, and that meant spending time with Beel. She had never really thought about it; Oga and Beel came as a package deal. Demon lord or not, he was a sweet child, and they had made a lot of great memories. But it didn't take a genius to figure out that Hilda wouldn't like it. On the other hand, was it any of her business?

"I'm sorry," said Aoi. "You're right, I am spending more time with Beel." She thought for a bit. "But you know what? That's how it's supposed to be! I'm Oga's girlfriend, and we are in love. You think your feelings and your stupid mission beat everything else in the world, don't you? That's wrong. The Great Demon King isn't the boss here. I know you love to control and order Oga around, but you have no right to do that, and I will not let you! He's mine!"

"This isn't about Oga. I don't care about this piece of gutter trash. My loyalty lies only with…" started Hilda, but Aoi cut her off.

"Now you're lying. I see the way you fought in the christmas battle, or the way he always asks for your help, even now. Wherever I turn, you're in the way!"

Hilda looked taken aback for a second. She stuttered "I certainly didn't intend…" Aoi felt as if she could watch her think, eerily similar to herself just a moment ago. Finally, the nurse spoke up.

"Oga is a friend. A surprisingly good friend, actually. That allows us to raise the young master better than if we were enemies. But there are no romantic feelings." She smiled a bit as she continued. "In a way, I thought you were good for him. You make him happy, and that makes the young master happy. Under different circumstances, I might have wished you luck. But he is linked to the young master, and when it comes to him, don't ever expect me to back down. You say your childish love trumps the bond that is a family. I think that rather proves my point."

Aoi felt a chill run down her spine. She took a step back and unsheathed her sword. Hilda likewise drew her sword from her umbrella. Dark mists began to surround her.

"So that's it then?" asked Aoi. "We fight? No compromise? It seems that if we could separate the two, we'd be happy."

"Would you?" asked Hilda, taking a step away from her. "Even if you could, each is a part of the other. Their bond is far stronger than mine to the young master, or yours to Oga. No, we have to find a solution."

"Alright with me," said Aoi. She brought her sword before her, ready to attack or defend. "But what do we do afterwards?"

"If there's one thing Oga and the young master ever taught me, it's that asking these questions doesn't help."

With these words, Hilda leaped. The fight was on.

Aoi had been in a lot of battles, both mock and real, and even some with Hilda, but this was something else entirely. The demon maid attacked and retreated, swirled and jumped in ways that human eyes could barely follow. Wherever Aoi's blade went, Hilda managed to just not be there, or at least block it with seeming ease.

Still, the fight was not one-sided. Aoi had to draw on most of Koma's strength just to match Hilda, but match her she could. With every strike, she got a little closer to the wet nurse.

Hilda ducked a particularly vicious strike, sending Aoi flying into the ground. The parasol sword came down, but she had already rolled away. She grabbed a hand of loose gravel and threw it in Hilda's face.

The demon easily averted it, and laughed. "Do you think you can get me with that old trick? You're really just an over-excited child." She stopped laughing as she saw that Aoi had gone, not preparing a frontal assault at a blinded Hilda at all. Instead, she charged from the side. The demon maid turned, but the wooden sword still gave her a cut on the arm.

"Stop being so damn arrogant, bitch!", she shouted. "The way you talk, the way you dress, it's all so damn arrogant!"

"Jealous? Not anyone can pull this off", said Hilda, as she resumed their parrying. "Just like how some people are family, and some are just home-wreckers."

"Stop it!", said Aoi, between sword thrusts. "You're not family. All you are is a servant. You don't know what it's like to be responsible for family. You're not Beel's mother, you're only pretending!"

"Why you little whore…!" shouted Hilda. She was getting agitated, and Aoi noticed it in her fencing. The thrusts came faster, the parries later, and it was all a bit sloppy. She was getting through to her.

"You think you care about family?", said the demon. "You don't know the first thing about raising a child. I've been trained for this all my life, while you're just a high school girl out of her depth. Tell me, do you honestly think that you can replace your mother? Do you really think a little child like you can raise Kouta and not mess it up?"

Aoi froze for a second. That hit a lot closer to her own fears than she would ever have admitted to anyone. Of course, her grandfather did most of the actual work of raising Kouta, but still, being so responsible for him always filled her with fear.

Hilda used the moment's hesitation to strike, and Aoi was barely able to get out the way. It was almost enough, but the steel connected with her skin, and blood spread out.

A wild rage filled the former Red Tails leader. How did that demon dare? What right did Hilda have to make such accusations? She didn't really care for Beel. If she did, she'd have protested when her demon boss sent his youngest child away from him. She didn't care about Oga either, the way she just came and messed his life up, and everyone else's in Ishiyama, too. The destroyed school (twice!), the conflict with the Rokkisei, the draining fights against the Pillar Squad and all of Aoi's confusion, weren't they all Hilda's fault?

She summoned additional strength from Koma. In her mind, she thought she could hear him gasp for air, but she didn't care. The creature's discomfort, and the fact that she was stuck with the little pervert at all, were because of Hilda, too. Somehow. It didn't matter.

Her thrust at Hilda's neck violated all rules, but it worked. Hilda could barely evade her in time, surprised by the attack's ferocity. But Aoi's goal had never been hitting her directly. The wooden sword caught the demon's necklace. It was sent flying.

The distraction worked. Hilda looked at the flying necklace with shock in her eyes, as if she couldn't believe it. That moment was the chance Aoi had been waiting for. She brought her sword up and slashed across the maid.

Hilda gasped and spat blood. A feeling of triumph swelled in Aoi's heart. She had won this fight.

Suddenly, she felt something warm rain on her face. She wiped it off with her finger, and saw it was blood.

The blood came from Hilda. Aoi watched in slow motion as the demon maid collapsed on the floor. Apparently she tried to say something, but only croaking sounds came out. It took a second to process, but then Aoi ran towards her, trying to help in some way. Press something on the wound, right? But the wound was long, and hidden under Hilda's dress. On the black, it was hard to see, but Aoi could feel that blood was seeping into it. Hilda continued to breathe with a whistle, but it got quieter. How did you even take a pulse? Was it the same for a demon? Could she call an ambulance? Could they help her? Would they arrive in time?

All these thoughts and more swirled through Aoi's head as suddenly, Hilda grabbed her arm. The demon maid looked at her and once more tried to say something, but no sound came out. Aoi could barely hear her labored breath, which was getting weaker and weaker now. After a moment, it was gone.

Hilda was dead. Aoi had killed her.

* * *

_**Authors note:**__ RIP Hilda._


	4. Czech republic (western part)

Despite it all, the next day was nice. The world around Aoi was continuing to turn, and the weather was actually very pleasant. It didnt feel like real life; more like some sort of fantasy.

She was sitting on the roof of the school building, where she'd been trying to avoid everyone else in the world, when the one person she wanted to face the least appeared.

"Yo, Aoi!" shouted Oga. "Good to see you. Have you seen Hilda?"

"Hilda? No, not recently. Why, is she gone?" said Aoi. Did she pause too long? Did she say it too fast? Anything to give away her feeling of guilt? Apparently not, because Oga continued normally.

"Yeah. Yesterday, she said she had something to do, and we shouldn't wait up for her. Well, this morning, she's nowhere to be found. Beel's getting a bit worried…"

"Dabbaah!"

"…but I told him how strong she is. See, Beel? Aoi agrees. Nothing bad has happened to your mom."

"Ye… yes. I'm sure Hilda is fine," said Aoi. Fascinating. She never knew lying would come this easily to her. Like a landslide, the memories of last night returned. How she and her grandfather had wrapped up Hilda. Aoi had no idea what he'd done then, but he seemed scarily used to it.

"Okay, if you do see her, give me a call! I bet she's in the demon world again, buying some sort of crazy stuff…"

Oga left as quickly as he arrived, leaving Aoi alone with her thoughts. So apparently there was no escape from reality.

* * *

Himekawa had no idea why he was looking for Oga's lost wifey. Oga certainly hadn't asked him for it, and if he had, Himekawa would have told him to go to hell. Neither had anyone else asked him to. That was probably why it worked. That goth-loli-chick was one of the Ishiyama delinquents, and they were a team of sorts. Nobody would ever put it in words, but they all would look around, just a little, on their way home, or maybe a bit more. They wouldn't be able to look each other in the eye otherwise.

Whether it helped was another question entirely. Hilda had been gone for two days now, and for all Himekawa knew, she might be on the moon right now. Actually, that wouldnt be such an outrageous thought, considering the weird things that happened around her and Oga. They had certainly taught him to look up at the sky, because you just might see the occasional dragon.

Maybe she had simply up and left, upset at seeing the baby brawler with Queen Kunieda. If that was the case, then there was no point in poking ones pompadour in other peoples business. He'd have told all this and more to Oga if that guy had just asked, but you can't refuse a request that was never made.

Either way, this park was probably not it. He was just about to leave, when he spotted a familiar face on a park bench.

"Oy, Kunieda! Hard at work, looking for your competitor?"

"Competitor? What's that supposed to mean?" she replied angrily.

"Well, Oga's always running around with the girl we call his wife, and then suddenly you're next to him. Not that I care, but it's confusing. Her being gone should simplify things for you. Although it might be less fun to watch."

"Simple? Heh." she said. "Trust me, it's not. And none of your business either. I need no sympathy."

"Yeah, Oga's quite desperate to get her back, despite all. But why are you just sitting here? Wasn't she your girlfriend? I still root for you two to fight, and then you look each other in the eyes, and your lips get closer…"

A wooden sword in front of his face interrupted his musings.

"Whoah, just kidding!"

"And now the kidding is over. Get out."

"I was looking for…"

"She is not here. Neither is my patience. Shingetsu…"

He ran like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

Aoi wanted to talk to someone, anyone. But who? Her grandfather had demanded absolute silence on the issue. Kouta couldnt understand. In an ideal world, she would just talk to her parents, but in an ideal world where they were still around, she would have never had to utter the words "Mama, just killed a girl…" to begin with.

Of course, Oga didnt know any of this, and she would do her best to keep it that way. But the secret was keeping a toll on her, especially as she had no exit strategy.

"What if Hilda doesn't want to be found?" she said suddenly as they were walking. "Maybe there's some big secret and we're about to ruin it."

"Nah", replied Oga, and pushed another croquette in his mouth. After a moment of chewing, he continued. "Demons are not some easy-come-easy-go thing, and especially her not. She'd have said something. Lamia, Yolda… someone would know. You know she can be all stupid and ‚I don't matter, only the young master' and stuff. But I don't think she'd leave without saying something to Beel."

"You're really worried about her, aren't you? Should I be jealous?"

"Huh? Why? If you're a man, you gotta fight for your friends. You know I'll do the same for you, right? If someone hurts you, or Hilda, or Beel, or Furuichi or someone, then I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Brutality? Ass-kicking? Is that really what she'd have wanted?"

"Of course it is. Well, I guess she'd like it more if she could do it herself. Don't be stupid. You know her just as well as I do. After all, you were like, her best friend or something."

"Best friend? Didn't you see how we always fought?"

"Yeah, exactly. Hilda only fights people she respects. The others, she just ignores. But she made you the captain at the volleyball thingy, and you came to rescue her at that school. You know, you stick together when it counts."

"I never thought about it that way. Best friend, right? That's great…"

* * *

"I see", said Furuichi. "And could you describe this construction worker for me? Could you maybe just give me a silhouette?"

"I swear I saw him somewhere before. Do you think he might have hurt Hilda-san?" said Azusa agitatedly.

"It's not out of the question, but we have to hope for the best. Do you maybe know how tall he was?"

"This guy is really creepy. Everywhere I go, I see him, and he's always pretending to be someone else. Just yesterday, he sold my movie ticket!"

"So you know what he looks like, right?"

"I'm really scared. What if he hurt Hilda-san? I mean, I know Kunieda-san better, but I always liked her too. And the cute little baby! What is he doing now?"

"Oh, he's just fine. As long as his daddy is with him, he isn't worried at all," lied Furuichi. He idly scratched a burn mark from the last time Beel expressed his feelings about Hilda's absence.

"Maybe she's in Macao again? Have you checked there? I'd go and check, but it's so far away…"

"Don't worry. Alaindelon is looking for her there. It just takes a while."

"Alaindelon-kun from my class? I didn't know he knew her! Please, Detective Furuichi-san, get them all back safely."

"I'll do my best, but I need your help for this. Now, this creepy man you see everywhere, can you describe him?"

"Oh, yes, of course! He is really tall, strong, often wears a yellow shirt. His hair is like, dark orange. Oh, and he's got this weird red tattoo on his arm, kind of like the one Oga-san has! Very, very frightening!"

"I see", said Furuichi, making notes on his paper pad. "Tall, strong, orange-haired… wait a second. That's just Toujou!"

* * *

Beel was sleeping on Oga's lap. It looked adorable, but Aoi had lost all her taste for adorable things or positive feelings at all lately. Especially here, on the grounds of the temple, right where… it had happened. Suddenly, she saw something.

"Hey, Oga, I was wondering. That necklace Hilda always wore, is it important?"

"Of course. Weren't you there at that San Marx Academy thing?" He paused for a moment. "No, wait, you weren't, were you?"

"That's how well you remembered me back then!? You just assumed I was always around?"

"Eh… you kind of were, though. Still are, in fact. Anyway, that necklace was a gift from Beel's real mother. She is mighty proud of it. She went really mad that one time when Misaki had just put it somewhere else so it wouldn't fall down."

"His mother, huh? So if something happened to her, she'd want him to have it?"

"Erm… she never said, one way or another. Why you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like she's died or something. Stop even thinking that! Hilda's way strong. I promise to you, we'll see her again! And once we see who kept her… well, Beelzebub has a devil set aside for that guy!"

"I know he has," replied Aoi. Now wasnt that a comforting thought?

* * *

Kanzaki wasn't entirely sure why Paako had come along with him to search this tiny market for clues. But then, she always came along with him lately. The really confounding thing was why he let her.

"It's so awesome that you spend so much time helping with the search, Kanzaki-senpai! Unbelievable! Why are you doing that? Is it because…" She looked down on her body. He followed her gaze, then quickly averted it.

"Hell no, stupid girl! A true man always helps when a woman is in distress, no matter who it is! Besides, not all man want big… things. I prefer normal proportions." Why was he saying stuff like that? It somehow just slipped out.

"Cool! Yeah, and all that cold and distant attitude…"

"…no sense of fun at all. Way too boring." What? He always tried his very best to be cold and distant. He went over to the next stall.

"Oy, we're looking for a friend of ours. Blond hair, black dress, about that one's height…" he pointed to Hanezawa as the vendor turned around. He had dark orange hair, was significantly taller than Kanzaki, and wore a yellow T-shirt.

"Oh, it's just you," said Hanezawa. "Seriously, how many part-time jobs do you have?"

Toujou ignored the comment. "I ain't seen her, but that old woman at the fish stand said something about a girl that was found here three days ago. I was going to ask her once I was done with my shift. How about you go instead?"

"Awesome, will do!" said Hanezawa. Kanzaki had other concerns. "Wait a second. Weren't you at that rice ball stall we passed like five minutes ago?"

Toujou nodded, and turned back around. Kanzaki started walking again, Paa-ko not far behind.

"Cool, Kanzaki-senpai! You found a real clue! I think that's the first we ever had in this whole thing!", she shouted.

"You see, a real man has not just physical strength, but intelligence, too!", he replied. A real man might also have pointed out that Toujou had the clue, and both she and him heard it at the same time. But what would that have achieved?

"Say, what do you think about Aoi-nee-san?" asked Paako all of a sudden. "She seems so lost in thought. Like nothing really matters to her."

"Dunno. Oga seems really focused on Hilda now, so maybe she thinks shes some poor girl and nobody loves her… I mean, her parents are missing, too, but nobody ever cared about that. Thatd annoy me, too."

"Whoa, you know that?"

"Dont be stupid, you told me."

"But I didnt think you were listening! Awesome!"

For some reason, Kanzaki felt himself blush.

The old woman proved incredibly chatty. She explained all about her heart problems, about her son who never called, her latest doctor visit and her opinions on today's soap operas. Still, it didn't take that long to turn her to the greatest scandal that had apparently happened here lately.

"It was a real scene! Police everywhere! And let me tell you, that girl looked like a real mess. I'm sure it's these drugs that these young people are into these days. I say, you two, you seem like nice kids. Don't ever start with that! My cousin's son had this friend, and we all thought he was huffing glue, and then one day, dead, just like that. Never even saw the truck. That can't be a coincidence! Or was it these new bath salts? I'm telling you, it's a disgrace, you want to take a nice bath, and suddenly, you're hooked on them drugs! It's all these mangas, I'm telling you…"

"Yes, right, but the chick?" said Kanzaki. This was more stressful than any fight he'd ever been in.

"Oh, it was horrible! She was in this dumpster, and they were going to take it away right in the morning, but Suzuha, you know, she lives in that house there in the third story, and sometimes she gets those nightmares, thinking that she put her cat in the trash, and then she got up because of her bladder, you see she has this thing, the doctors have no clue what it is, but they give her lots of expensive medicine, anyway her cat was gone, so she went down to see, because she always thinks maybe she sleepwalks. It's funny, I always tell her, Suzuha, I say, you're 83, if you're a sleepwalker, someone would have told you by now. Later it turned out that the cat was just sitting on the couch. Can you believe it? She searches through all that trash, and that stupid cat is just on the couch! She loves that little tiger, though, as if it was her child."

"The girl had blond hair and wore a black dress", said Hanezawa, interrupting the senior's stream of consciousness. "Also, she had like, really big tits! Was that her?"

"Yes, exactly! I remember, I mean, I didn't see it, but Suzuha, she told me, what with the blonde hair and the black dress, it was quite immodest. She said, if she had had things like those in her youth, why, her gentleman friends…"

"Do you know, like, what hospital she was brought to? Or maybe a police station?" asked Kanzaki. It was getting harder and harder not to become rude. Especially if the topic was becoming embarrassing.

"Hospital? Oh no, I'm afraid she was far beyond that, the poor thing. I think right now, she's in the morgue. It's just like I said to Suzuha, all these people today with their FacePods and…"

The woman yammered on, but Kanzaki stopped listening. "Yeah, I'm not calling Oga with this", he mumbled. Hanezawa nodded. Somehow, she was now clutching his arm, and her face had gotten all white. "Yeah, this is not good, not good at all…"

They hastily left the stall, still clutched together. Somehow, Kanzaki couldn't imagine telling her to let go. Suddenly, she got out her phone.

"Are you going to call him?", he said. "I mean, I'd do it myself, it's not like I'm scared of him, but something like this, maybe it does need a woman's touch. Just, you know, be careful."

"I know. That's why I'm calling Aoi-nee-san."

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ No, this whole story is not just a big lead-up to this overly long joke. But once it entered my head, I just couldn't let it go unsaid._


	5. Conclusion

He met her at the edge of the river. She wasn't sure why she had come here, but she wasn't surprised that he joined her. It felt as if this had always been inevitable.

She stood up to greet him, but the look on his face scared her. It was neither angry nor happy, nor his usual disinterest. He seemed to be somewhere else entirely. The baby on his back was sleeping, with red eyes.

The question "Was it her?" was just a mere formality, as was his short "Yes." He didn't say another word. Did he want to say something and couldn't? Aoi didn't know. Once more, she wished that she had never told Oga about Yuuka's discovery, but she knew that she couldn't have hidden it. She also knew that the silence was killing her.

"How did Beel take it?"

"How do you think? Not sure if he really gets it, but, well, you know him. Thank god he's sleeping now."

"Hm." said Aoi. She knew the questions she wanted to ask, and the questions she knew she should have asked if the circumstances had been different, but she couldn't decide. Finally, she settled on doing her duty as his girlfriend.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not good", he replied in a completely passive voice. He didn't give her anything. She didn't know what to do. Oh, she knew what she should have done. Force him, make him open up, let it all out, and comfort him when he cried over his dead friend. But seeing him hurt because of her? She didn't have the stomach for that. So the silence dragged on.

She was just about to start talking about the weather when Oga spoke up.

"They were really confused, at the morgue. What with her being a demon and all."

"How did you deal with that?"

"I said I dunno."

"Was that enough?"

"I said it a lot. Anyway, Yolda's coming to take care of… all that stuff."

"I see", said Aoi. Not that she actually did. What exactly did ‚all that stuff' entail? Paperwork, sure. Maybe also the burial. Would it be here or in Hilda's home? Would Aoi be invited? Would she go? And the thought of another person who had lost someone because of her… It was painful, but she had to know.

"I hadn't really thought about Yolda yet. What does she say?"

"She's furious. Says it's all my fault."

"Your fault? But you didn't…"

"Not like that. She says I should have protected her, instead of spending so much time with you. By the way, you should probably not go near her now."

"But she's wrong, right? You told her that?"

"She is? Okay…"

This carried connotations that Aoi didn't care for, but what could she say? That Oga shouldn't make it sound as if it was her fault? Yeah, right…

Oga was silent again. Aoi had lots of things she knew she ought to do, but there was only one question that she really wanted, needed to know the answer to.

"Do they know… what happened?" Do they know what hit her? That it was a wooden sword? The surface it happened on? The specific time? Were there any fingerprints? Did they find foreign blood? In short, did they know it was her? And if they did, did Oga know?

He sighed. "They have no clue. Apparently there was a fight. She's got wounds, some internal bleeding, a big cut. No idea about any foreign stuff, though. Apparently, below a microscope, her skin is really weird. That's what happens now. Some guys cut off tiny parts of her and look at that under microscopes and officially say she's weird. Without knowing the first thing about her. And I can't stop it, 'cause there's been a crime, and I don't count as family anyway."

His voice dropped more and more, until Aoi could barely hear it. She gulped. On an intellectual level, it was good to know that the police wasn't coming for her soon. But she found it hard to care about that when Oga was hurting so much. And she could imagine the scenery described by Oga all too well. It nearly made her sick.

"Anyway, all that won't help. They'll never catch who did it. But you know how demons have really great noses? They had this, kind of splinter, really tiny, that they found in… that they found. Asked if I knew anything about it. I didn't. Baby Beel did."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." He stared at her intently, willing her to say something. His face was totally calm, although she could see that it took him a bit of effort to keep it that way. Still, it gave nothing away. However, on his back, Beel had just woken up again, and was staring at her with nothing but hate.

Neither of the boys said something. They seemed to make it a point not to say anything. She had the opportunity to explain herself.

For a moment, she wondered whether she could just simply stay like this, saying nothing, forever. Or maybe she could use this break to run away, far away, to somewhere nobody knew her, and then she could… do something… It was no use.

"What do you want to know?" she whispered.

Oga paused a moment, then said, "How, why, stuff like that".

"It… it was an accident! You have to believe me, I didn't mean for any of this to–"

Oga interrupted her. "So, like, she tripped and fell on your sword?" he said, with a look almost like pity in her eyes.

"Well, no. We… we fought, over… well, you two. It was silly. We argued. I got angry. Saw an opening. And when I realized what happened, it was too late. I didn't mean to…"

"Could you have stopped it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like I said it. Could you have stopped the fight? Could you have talked? If it was about Beel and me, then maybe asked us? You know, somehow not kill her?"

Aoi hung her head. "Yes. I'm sorry."

He said nothing. Right now, that was maybe a small comfort. After all, anything he could have said, she had thought herself already. On the other hand, it felt like a solid wall that had descended between them. She began to cry.

"I'm really sorry, Oga. This is the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I messed up, bad, and I don't know how to deal with it. Can you, not right now, but maybe some day, ever forgi…"

"No."

"No? I know I've no right to complain, but so definitely no?"

"My friend was just murdered. You did it. Whaddaya expect?" After a second, he added, "'sides, it's not really my business to forgive you or not. I'm not the guy whose mother you killed."

"Daabuuh…" said the child in a surprisingly sinister voice. Suddenly, Aoi had no problem believing he was a demon lord's child.

"Dabbah-ai. Ah ma ma da ai-o?"

She looked helplessly at Oga, who translated. "He wants to know whether it's true that Mama won't come back."

"Are you sure? How can you understand him?"

"I sort of picked it up while raising him. We both did, me and her. Now answer his question. I feel kind of impatient right now, and Beel too."

She gulped, then nodded shortly.

"Aih?"

"Louder. He doesn't understand."

"Yes," she said quietly. "Yes, it is true. Your mother isn't coming back. She's gone because I did something wrong. It's all my fault that you…" She looked in the baby's eyes, full of fear and sadness. The first tears were starting to form, and a few crackles were running over his skin. "Damn, I can't continue this speech. Me asking you to forgive me? That would be funny, if it weren't so sad. I'm worthless trash. Blame me. Shock me. Punish me. I deserve it."

Now the baby was starting to sob. "Daaiah. ian-ai. ma ma da gia."

She saw that Oga was now in pain from the electric shocks, but he seemed to ignore it entirely. "He says he doesn't want someone to blame. He wants his mother."

It was the last thing that Aoi heard before the crying started in full. The shocks hit her immediately. For a second, the longest second of her life, she felt like burning and exploding from within. She felt the searing sensation on her skin, and she could see that Oga was experiencing the same. But he didn't try to shield himself in any way. Instead, he held his son, as if to protect him, even now.

Then all went black, forever.

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ I have received some rather negative (but accurate) criticism of the story so far, and that has made wonder whether I'd try to rewrite it all now to save it or not. In the end, I decided against it. The damage is already done, and I'll try instead to fix those in whatever story I start next. But leaving the story without an ending would suck, too, so here it is._

_Certainly the biggest issue of this story is that it is way too extreme (and this chapter doesn't do anything to solve that). It has been suggested that I should have moved slower and ease more into it, but I think I actually should have moved faster. One big _OMG_, and that's that, instead of dwelling on everything so much._

_Another criticism is that I have a movie script style of writing: Lots of dialogue with short lines and almost no content. Yeah, that's true, and I'll try to change that in the future._

_Somewhat surprising for me were the many people that fixated on the dumpster, because that was something I hadn't really thought about at all. I just needed something that would work to dispose of the body, but also make it possible to discover it again. But yeah, this isn't really nice, is it?_

_Anyway, I've got a short epilogue that I'll publish tomorrow, perhaps with an explanation of what I actually wanted to do with the story. If you're interested, see you then!_


	6. Chapter 6

"Thanks for bringing my son home, Alaindelon", said the Great Demon King. "Damn, this is a mess. I mean, I always thought Hilda'd die from that stick in her butt, not some jealous school girl. And then Beelzebub kills that girl, but also the contractor. It's like a stupid soap opera."

"Daa-buuh!" said Beelzebub, sitting on the ground. It had taken the little guy five days to calm down, and it still wasn't over. He would still electrocute everyone within a hundred demonic mile radius if someone so much as blinked the wrong way. The Great Demon King didn't know you could blink the wrong way, but clearly, his son had standards.

"You're right, son. All that deal with finding a strong human to raise you, I know that's how my father raised me and his father raised him and so on, but those guys are really not suitable, are they? You know what? We'll destroy the world tomorrow, right away!"

"But sir, tomorrow you're expected at the annual Basilisk Breeder's Ball!" said the king's advisor guy. The Great Demon King was not quite sure whether advisor guy had a name, or for that matter, who had hired him or given him the authority to do the things he did. He was always just sort of around.

"Meh, that's always a such a bore. Tell them I have an urgent dentist's appointment, but I send my regards. No, wait… I am the Great Demon King! Tell them I have to destroy the human world tomorrow. If they protest, ignore them. Now, summon the troops. These annoying humans are going down!"

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ And that's all! First of all, sorry for taking so long to publish this; a nasty cold kept me rather useless over the past few days._

_After all this carnage, and the very strong reactions to it, I thought I'd try to explain what I was actually trying to do. The basic point is a fairly trivial one: It's that the Aoi X Oga pairing has some big problems that need to be addressed if you don't want everyone involved to die horrible deaths. The biggest of these problems is Hilda._

_It's clear that Oga and Aoi make a great team. But Oga and Hilda and Beel make a family, and Hilda has already explicitly said in the Manga and Anime that she thinks Aoi is a threat for Beel's affection. Most fan fictions just have Hilda not be there at the moment, which is kind of lazy. Other issues involve what Oga's family will think and the rest of the Ishiyama gang, but those are just facets of the big thing (I talked about them a bit in chapter 2)._

_In this story, Hilda couldn't have interest in Oga, because this isn't about a shipping war. It should be all about her definitely canon attachment to Beel. I decided to kill someone so that it would have more impact, and I decided for the one to be Hilda, because it's not what you'd expect and because I thought the reactions would be more interesting that way. And in the end I decided to kill everyone so you'd know for sure that the story is over. Which it is now. Thank you for sticking with it and for all your reviews, positive or negative!_


End file.
